Paul Sax
@PaulSaxMD
Harvard/Brigham Infectious Diseases doctor, writer, @CIDJournal editor, educator. Prefer baseball to football, pizza to sushi, dogs to cats, Beatles to Stones.
Ceftriaxone is a narrow antibiotic now. Plus: ID binomials, BCID magic, linezolid price madness, a Novak Djokovic apology (!), and more. 20 musings, mostly ID-related, videos included. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Patient had recent surgery, abnormal labs, and clear signs of illness -- so he was admitted. He got better. That, apparently, was the problem. His insurance denied payment because he didn’t get sick enough. You can't make this stuff up. @DGlaucomflecken blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
“Dr. Sax, what’s it like to have lived through two pandemics as an ID doctor?” The question came from a brand-new intern during afternoon sign-out. Here's what I wish I had time to say. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Hello ID People Outside of USA: Looking for information on access to Uromune (MV140). Anyone know? Thanks! vax-before-travel.com/uti-vaccine-on…
The isolated hepatitis B core antibody: HBsAg ⛔ anti-HBs ⛔ anti-HBc ✅ What does it mean, and what should you do? A mystery solved (mostly). Plus, a poll and a couple of great videos. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
This is by far the most common vaccine I strongly recommend in ID adult clinical practice. As ID doctors, we see some truly severe cases of zoster, with post-zoster sequelae that may last months or even rarely be permanent. @CIDJournal doi.org/10.1093/cid/ci…
The federal HIV guidelines are facing a shutdown. A trusted, living resource — used by clinicians, programs, and public health agencies for decades — may disappear due to “budget decreases and revised priorities.” Big mistake. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
The head of HHS said he’d preserve ACIP. Then he fired the entire committee. Now a new panel--with mostly unclear expertise in clinical trials, vaccines, and ID--is in place. Time for high alert for changes that could seriously affect public health. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
In the 3rd (and final) “How ID Doctors Get Paid” series, here are three less-visible salary sources for ID physicians: • Infusion services • 340B pharmacy • Industry-sponsored clinical trials Plus--why is this topic so taboo in our field? blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Before the ID salary talk, a quick protest: 3 recent vaccine-related moves — all alarming. Then in Part 2 of How ID Doctors Get Paid: - Infection control - Abx stewardship - Contracts for care - Telehealth - Travel clinics (+ dog video, of course.) blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Latest FDA actions on Covid vaccines: 1. Novavax approved: 👏 2. Narrowed indications for all vaccines: ➕/➖ 3. Called for more clinical trials:👍 Thoughts about what this might mean -- and 100% agree we need updated data to inform clinical practice. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
We love what we do. But yes, we’d also like to get paid. ID is a cognitive, consult-heavy specialty -- and often a “loss leader” in a fee-for-service world. A look at how the money actually flows (or doesn’t), Part 1. h/t @ronnahass @BradSpellberg 👇 blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
The new head of FDA’s CBER, @VPrasadMDMPH, is undoubtedly brilliant. He'll oversee vaccines, gene Rx, monoclonal Abs, & blood products. Let's hope he can get along well enough with others to be an effective leader -- the stakes are pretty darn high! blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
TB rule outs, Abx allergies, CMV, MSSA (of course), and more. Studies sent to an awesome ID fellow during 2 weeks of service — organized for subconscious absorption. 🧠 Link-o-Rama: Osmosis Edition blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
The SNAP trial may finally resolve some of the longest-running debates in SAB management (cefazolin vs semi-synthetic PCN? Is PCN really active vs PSSA?). Congrats to @syctong @Josh_S_Davis, and the global team who made this ambitious trial happen. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Remember ICAAC? Bad name, weirder pronunciation ("ick-kack"), and a classic case study in conference identity crisis. A look back—and where the big ID trials land now, which is @ESCMID Global. Following closely! #IDSky blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Latest post on a new antibiotic, gepotidacin, which has a novel mechanism of action, is the first new drug for uncomplicated UTIs in decades, and has a brand name that sounds a lot like a tropical bird. Plus some digressions on prog rock, for no reason. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…
Really Rapid Review of #CROI2025, which was a very strange conference given the current state of things. But still plenty of good content. Enjoy! blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observa…